A Christian Resource for Teamwork Development

Leadership can best be defined as a collective effort. It is not a one-man show. Leaders are not called to go out solo. For leaders to see good results it is all about teamwork over committees.

What exactly is a team? In one of Webster’s earlier dictionaries, team was defined as “Two or more horses harnessed to the same plow.” A team is a group of people working cooperatively to accomplish a common mission or goal through the exercise of their gifts and calling in the context of mutual accountability.

A group of willing team members are:

United around a clear and challenging common goal.

Structured to work together.

Sharing responsibility for their task.

Depending upon each other.

Building relationships with each other.

Empowered to implement consensus decisions.

The difference of a team from a committee can be understood when committees are also defined. Committees are:

Usually administrative in nature.

Hands-on organizationally.

Often spend considerable time deciding if something “needs to be done.”

Heavy involvement in decision-making.

Normally oversee and carry out programs..

Committees provide a service, but one needs to recognize that a more effective approach could be taken in situations in which a team strategy is applied. Here is the difference between committees and and teams.

Differences Teams Between Committees

COMMITTEES

TEAMS

Strong leader

Shared leadership

Individual accountability

Mutual accountability

Committees purposes same as the broader organizations

Specific team purpose that the team itself delivers

Efficient meetings

Encourage open-ended discussion and active problem-solving meetings

Measure effectiveness indirectly by its influence on others

Measure performance directly by assessing collective work products

Discuss, decide, and delegate

Discuss, decide, and do real work together

What does your organization look like? Is it a committee or a team? Do you think it would be better for your organization to function as a team or a committee?

Dale is the creator of "Like A Team."He has been working with businesses, charity organizations, volunteer groups and church groups in the development of teamwork for over 25 years.The goal of "Like A Team" is to help share the knowledge and skills of healthy team creators across the planet.